Entertainment

Today's Gaming Releases: "Rock Band 3," "Fable 3," "LEGO Universe"

Every Tuesday, the majority of each week's retail video games hit store shelves. PlayStation Network game downloads arrive on that day, and many Xbox Live downloads hit the following Wednesday. We'll be taking a closer look at the releases each week, so let's get started.

Rock Band 3 (360, PS3, Wii)

Without a doubt this week's biggest release, Rock Band 3 adds a killer list of new features to the multi-instrument music game, not the least of which is the option to play with real instruments (not the plastic fake ones with the multi-colored buttons) and learn how to play them using in-game tutorials.

The most visible change is the addition of the keyboard instrument to the traditional suite of drums, bass, guitar and vocals. We went hands-on with the new instrument at the E3 games conference in Los Angeles this summer, so take a look at our initial impressions if you're curious.

Fable 3 (360)

With bold works like Populous and Black & White, noted game designer Peter Molyneux has built a reputation as a creative man who's not afraid to try something different. He's also acquired a reputation for promising more than he can deliver, but if the reviews and our initial hands-on time with Fable 3 are any indication, he's followed through on his promises with this one.

Fable 3 is a role-playing game designed to abandon many of video gaming's most frustrating tropes like excessive time spent navigating menu screens, complicated camera controls that casual gamers can't master and other obtuse game design elements. You'll play a prince or princess in a fantasy world turned industrial.

Your goal in the first half of the game is to build up the support to mount a revolution against your evil brother the king. In the second half, you'll be king and you'll have to decide whether to follow in his footsteps or to run the kingdom justly.

LEGO Universe (PC)

Those time-consuming massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) all look the same these days thanks in part to World of Warcraft's success. Most everyone is committed to emulating Blizzard's blockbuster as closely as possible. Not so with LEGO Universe, though.

This online game is all about creating. As in other MMOs, you'll spend most of your time traveling the world and performing tasks to earn new equipment and abilities, but in this case you'll use them to build structures and other creations that you can share with friends.

We took a close look at the game during E3 last year and we were impressed. We expect LEGO Universe to be a strong niche success that will influence future online games.

Other Releases

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II puts you in control of a ridiculously powerful user of the dark side of the force, then sends you out into the Star Wars universe to yank Tie Fighters out of the sky and fry hundreds of Storm Troopers. Though the first game received a lukewarm reception from gamers and critics, LucasArts put a lot into marketing the sequel as bigger and better. Critics' reactions are mixed at best so far, but it could be worth checking out if you're in the mood for a little bit of super hero-like power fantasy.

One of the most popular PC games of all time, The Sims 3, makes its debut on all three major consoles today. The game was changed a little bit to match the medium, but word is that it's faithful to the spirit of the PC blockbuster.

Tony Hawk Shred uses a real skateboard controller to read your actions. This was already tried in Tony Hawk Ride and gamers weren't sure what to make of it, but we're hoping this iteration pulls the concept off successfully.

Samuel Axon is a digital content producer in New York City. He has worked as an editor at Engadget, Mashable and the Joystiq network, and currently leads content strategy as Editorial Director at Sprout Social.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.